Melbourne Cup
By Jenny Moxham

For horses whipped, with bursting hearts
This race that stops a nation,
Is just another race of pain
And heartless exploitation.

Horses can be whipped up to 40 times in a single race. 90 percent of
race horses suffer from ulcers as a result of stress and unnatural feeding
regime. 90 percent also suffer from bleeding from the lungs due to over
exertion during training, and while racing. Most horses in training are
confined to a stall for up to 22 hours a day.

This poem was published in the Geelong Advertiser the day after the
Melbourne Cup, (6 November 2007) entitled 'The Cup: the race of pain that
stopped a nation'.

During one of the races a horse broke his leg and was subsequently
shot.

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